Research Hubs

Research Hubs may:

• Develop interdisciplinary research projects and collaborative publications;
• Pursue external grants and other funding opportunities;
• Convene scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and community partners around emerging questions;
• Develop policy briefs, working papers, conferences, workshops, and other forms of research dissemination;
• Create opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in collaborative research;
• Build partnerships with universities, foundations, government agencies, NGOs, international organizations, and other external partners; and
• Identify and advance new areas of research at the intersections of women, gender, technology, policy, and global leadership.

CWGGL provides recognized Research Hubs with an institutional home and access to resources designed to help move collaborative ideas toward substantive projects and outcomes. Depending on the needs of the Hub and available Center resources, support may include:

• Physical and virtual space for collaboration, brainstorming, and works-in-progress;
• Administrative support for scheduling, convening, and project logistics;
• Research and project-development tools, including templates for grant development, publication planning, and conferences or other convenings;
• Assistance identifying relevant funding and partnership opportunities;
• Strategic connections to scholars, policymakers, NGOs, government agencies, foundations, and other potential partners;
• Guidance navigating Howard University's research development and external funding processes; and
• Opportunities for CWGGL-supported research assistance, seed funding, expert consultations, and developmental support as resources become available.

Research Hubs are intentionally flexible. They may expand, pause, merge, conclude, or develop into larger initiatives as their research agendas and opportunities evolve. This flexibility allows CWGGL to respond to new questions and challenges while investing in areas where interdisciplinary collaboration can produce meaningful scholarship, policy engagement, and public impact.

Through the Research Hubs, CWGGL seeks to expand Howard University's intellectual, policy, and global footprint while creating an environment where innovative research on women and gender can take shape, grow, and travel beyond the University.

The Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership (CWGGL) invites Howard University faculty to propose new CWGGL Research Hubs.

Research Hubs are interdisciplinary, faculty-led collaborations organized around emerging research questions, issues, or opportunities related to women, gender, and global leadership. Hubs provide an intellectual and institutional space for faculty to develop ideas, build new collaborations, pursue external funding, produce scholarship, and connect research to policy and practice.

Research Hubs are intended to be incubators. We welcome ideas at an early stage as well as collaborations that are already beginning to take shape.

What We Are Looking For

Strong Hub proposals should:

• Address an important or emerging research question, challenge, or opportunity related to women and/or gender;
• Benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration;
• Bring together faculty from across disciplines, departments, schools, or professional backgrounds;
• Have the potential to generate research, publications, external funding, policy engagement, partnerships, or other substantive outcomes;
• Create opportunities for engagement with students, external scholars, policymakers, practitioners, communities, or other partners where appropriate; and
• Contribute to expanding CWGGL's intellectual, policy, and global reach.

CWGGL is particularly interested in proposals that open new areas of inquiry, respond to emerging developments, or create opportunities for innovative collaboration.

Who May Propose a Hub?

Proposals must be led by a Howard University faculty member. Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged, including collaborations across Howard's schools, colleges, departments, centers, and institutes.

Proposals may identify an initial group of collaborators, but a fully formed team is not required at the time of application. CWGGL may assist promising Hubs in identifying additional faculty, students, or external partners.

Each Hub should identify a Faculty Hub Lead who will serve as the primary liaison with CWGGL.

Proposal Requirements

Please submit a brief proposal of no more than two pages addressing the following:

1. Proposed Hub Name
Provide a working title for the Research Hub.

2. Research Focus
What issue, question, or opportunity will the Hub explore? Why is this an important area for research now?

3. Interdisciplinary Opportunity
What perspectives, disciplines, or areas of expertise could the Hub bring together? What becomes possible through collaboration that would be difficult to accomplish individually?

4. Potential Activities and Outcomes
What might the Hub produce or pursue during its first one to two years? Possibilities include collaborative research, publications, working papers, grant proposals, policy briefs, datasets, conferences or workshops, external partnerships, or other research-related initiatives.

Applicants are not expected to have a finalized work plan.

5. Participants
Identify the proposed Faculty Hub Lead and any faculty, students, or external collaborators already involved or likely to participate. Potential collaborators do not need to be confirmed at the time of submission.

6. CWGGL Support
What forms of support would be most useful in helping the Hub develop? This might include assistance with convening, identifying collaborators, partnership development, grant opportunities, research assistance, project planning, or other forms of research infrastructure.

What CWGGL Provides

Approved Research Hubs receive an institutional home within CWGGL and access to Center research infrastructure and support. Depending on Hub needs and available resources, this may include administrative and convening support, physical and virtual meeting space, research-development resources, assistance identifying funding opportunities, connections to external partners, and support navigating relevant University processes.

As the Research Hub initiative develops, CWGGL also plans to pursue resources for competitive seed funding, student research assistance, and specialized research-development support.

Hub Life Cycle

Hubs may grow, pause, merge with another initiative, conclude when their work is complete, or develop into larger externally funded research initiatives. Hub designation will be reviewed periodically in conversation with Hub leadership to ensure that the structure continues to serve the research and collaboration.

A Hub does not need to become permanent to be successful. A Hub that produces an important publication, develops a new partnership, secures external funding, launches a larger initiative, or advances an emerging field of inquiry may have accomplished exactly what it was created to do.

Selection

Proposals will be reviewed by CWGGL based on:

• Alignment with the Center's mission;
• Significance and timeliness of the proposed research area;
• Potential for interdisciplinary collaboration;
• Potential for research, funding, policy, partnership, or other substantive outcomes; and
• The value CWGGL can add to the proposed collaboration.

Selected applicants may be invited to meet with CWGGL to further develop the Hub's focus, membership, and initial priorities before formal designation as a CWGGL Research Hub.

How to Apply

Submit your two-page proposal to Dr. Amy Yeboah Quarkume at womenscenter@howard.edu. Faculty are welcome to contact us prior to submission.